The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), a €25 million first phase contract to demonstrate a full cargo transportation service to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit by 2028. Thales Alenia Space will be a co-founder of this LEO Cargo Return Service.
The main contractor, Thales Alenia Space will develop the service through the consolidation of the business plan and the initial engagement of potential customers and investors throughout this two-year phase contract (June 2024 to June 2026). The business will also be in charge of the spacecraft’s initial development, with an emphasis on de-risking, requirements, architectures, and technological maturation.
The industrial prime contractor is the Italian company Thales Alenia Space. The spacecraft development will be handled by Thales Alenia Space in France, while the ground segment and recovery ground support infrastructure projects will be handled by ALTEC, a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space Italia (63,75%) and the Italian Space Agency (36,25%). In order to use the current expertise within the European space industry and guarantee the most effective project execution, the industrial team will be expanded to include more firms throughout this Phase 1.
The execution of the demonstration flight and additional development of the spacecraft and service will be covered by Phase 2. This test flight, which involves pressurized cargo delivery to the International Space Station and the safe return of the cargo back to Earth, is targeted by the end of 2028.
The space exploration scene is changing quickly at the moment, with a variety of institutional and private entities launching missions to investigate Mars, the Moon, and Low Earth Orbit. The goal of Thales Alenia Space is to create a flexible and competitive end-to-end commercial passenger and freight transport service, setting new standards for efficiency and innovation while solidifying the company’s position as a key participant in the emerging space economy.
“As a leading European company, we are incredibly grateful that ESA has trusted us with the contract to develop cargo transportation services for commercial operators of Low Earth Orbit stations. This will allow us to create a service that will be competitive on the international market.” stated Massimo Comparini, Senior Executive Vice President, Thales Alenia Space, Deputy CEO, Observation, Exploration, and Navigation. In the recent past, Thales Alenia Space has been instrumental in facilitating humankind’s aspirations in Low Earth Orbit. Today, the company wants to invest in the development of technological solutions to give Europe a sustainable access to space by using its expertise in space exploration infrastructure and vehicles, entirely in accordance with the mission of the European Space Agency.
